Wow!! The Diamondbaclks have traded starting pitcher Dan Haren to the Angels in what appears to be a dump salary trade. The Diamondbacks get pitcher Joe Saunders, Patrick Corbin, Rafael Rodriguez and a player to be named later. Unless the PTBNL is a solid prospect, the Diamondbacks appear to have dealt Haren for a serviceable starting pitcher and what else?
Corbin is a starting pitcher in High A with a 13-3 record at two levels this year with a 3.87 ERA, 1.154 WHIP, and a 106-28 K/BB rate. Rodriguez is a middle reliever who was just recently called up from AAA Salt Lake City.
Saunders is 6-10 with a 4.62 ERA, a 1.492 WHIP and 64-45 K/BB rate. A 4th starter at best, but probably a #3 in Arizona.
Nick Piecoro from the Arizona Republic tweeted this a few minutes ago:
Told the player to be named in the deal is a top prospect....Don't know who is on list, but LHP Tyler Skaggs would make sense. Dbacks were close to drafting him last year.
I am curious who the prospect will be, but on the face of it, this is certainly alot less than what the Dbacks gave up to get Haren a few years ago.
ESPN's Buster Olney on the deal:
The D-Backs' trade looks like a pure salary dump. Arizona gets out from under about $30 million in salary obligation, and gets a good (but not great) pitching prospect.